Leading Chilean bus company Subus has selected Eminox’s emission control solution to meet tough new environmental regulations aimed at improving air quality in Santiago. In a joint initiative between Eminox and Volvo, a total of 674 of Subus’s Euro III Volvo B7 & B9 buses have been retrofitted with Eminox’s Continuously Regenerating Trap (CRT®) emission control systems.
Road transportation has traditionally been a major source of air pollution in Santiago, and as the number of diesel vehicles, including buses, has increased, the government has addressed local air quality in its “Transantiago” plan. To reduce particulate matter emissions, the plan requires buses to achieve a minimum of Euro III emissions standard. Particulate matter is a major health concern, as ultra-fine particles can cause damage to the heart and lungs.
Bus companies have already drastically reduced the number of old, heavily-polluting buses in use, and Subus is now making further improvements by retrofitting its fleet with a Volvo CRT® filter, supplied by Eminox. The Eminox CRT® removes more that 90% of particulate matter from diesel exhausts, as well as virtually eliminating hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, upgrading the Euro III buses to EEV (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle) standard for Particulate Matter. It has been approved for use in the Transantiago scheme by 3CV – Chile’s Vehicle Control and Certification Centre. Volvo is already familiar with fitting the Eminox CRT® system, having offered it as a line-fit option in Europe and Hong Kong for many years.
Eminox Director for Marketing Mike Galey said: “We’ve supplied our CRT® systems to Volvo for many years, and are confident that this new partnership to retrofit Eminox emissions control solutions on Subus’s fleet of Volvos will not only help Subus to bring its vehicles up to an excellent standard but also address Santiago’s particulate matter problem. We are delighted that Volvo and Subus have chosen the Eminox solution.”
Subus has now completed fitting all 674 Volvo buses with CRT® systems, including the fitting of Electronic Service Indicators to monitor system back pressure and indicate when filter servicing is necessary.
The Eminox CRT® system regenerates during normal use, avoiding filter blocking between services. To maintain optimum performance, filters are reconditioned using a specialist process that rejuvenates the filter. Vehicle servicing will be completed by Volvo, which is in the process of establishing a local Filter Cleaning Centre.
Volvo said: “Our long-standing relationship with Eminox made its CRT® system a natural choice for Volvo to use when tasked with retrofitting nearly 700 buses to meet Transantiago’s air quality standards. Eminox’s prior experience retrofitting Volvo fleets and providing emissions control systems for our new vehicles were major factors in our selecting CRT technology for this retrofit project. Subus was also happy with Eminox’s ongoing support package, which includes Electronic Service Indicators for each vehicle as well as filter cleaning technology and training to ensure the vehicles maintain their emissions performance.”
Eminox has supplied around 60,000 emissions systems to bus and truck companies around the world. Additionally, supplying original equipment to some of Europe’s leading bus and truck manufacturers.